Ephesians 2:13-22
By human standards one of the silliest things I may have ever done was invite a total stranger to move into my home for several months. I was on the phone with a cousin in the state of Washington when she mentioned that her housekeepers son was looking for a place to stay while he checked out the possibility of moving to the east coast. He was a young married Baptist minister with a family. He'd leave his wife and family in search of a parsonage and perhaps a career. Perhaps not so risky as a total stranger but risky none the less and certainly well beyond what most people would do. While he was a good man we saw eye to eye on nothing except for one thing - we both knew Jesus was our Lord and saviour. Otherwise he was a rightwingnut of a guy who even as s Baptist found room for beer and Hawaiian pizza. Thank God that did not include Hawaii's favorite food, Spam, or I'd probably have heaved and thrown him out.
But this man was a stranger and in continuing the theme I seem to have started a few days ago, I welcomed the stranger. That's what I have been talking about. Why is that? If we are faithful people, if we say yes to Christ, one of the tenets is set forth in this passage, you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God. If we accept our divine heritage and inheritance, if we accept the salvation offered by Christ, we must also acknowledge that same offer extends equally to every one else. We are once again, all brothers and sisters, all equally loved and cherished. How can we turn our back on our brothers and sisters if we are so loved. There are practicalities involved of course but that should not be allowed to be an excuse to abdicate our responsiblity to love one another. We must welcome the aliens, the strangers because of we truly believe and accept the message of love there really are no strangers and there are no aliens.
Perhaps you will respond by donating to a qualitfied charity that helps people in far off lands. Perhaps you will actually travel to those far off lands to help. Perhaps you will help closer to home, neighbors perhaps or indigent people that exist all around us if we chose to open our eyes. Perhaps the stranger you welcome will be the next customer or client that crosses your path. The key is to welcome and to have expansive love for everyone. I would argue that extends to all of God's craetion and all the animals as well. However you are called you are called to welcome the foreigner.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.
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